In the greatest news of all time or the cruelest joke of all, the minds behind Mystery Science Theater 3000 will be returning to television for a special April Fools’ broadcast on the National Geographic Channel. Total Riff Off will air three episodes on April 1st, applying the classic MST3k/Rifftrax formula to programming from National Geographic. And the best part, according to Zap2It, is the trio will reprise their roles from the Sci-Fi Channel classic. From Today:

For an April 1 special called “Total Riff Off,” they’ll be cracking wise over three different one-hour episodes featuring classic clips from National Geographic shows, all in the wittiest-guys-in-the-room format that their fans know well. The clips they’ll be mocking feature mantis shrimp, leaf-nosed bats, koalas and more.

When a biologist comments on how koalas don’t seem to do much, Corbett notes, “Yeah, ’cause most animals have jobs.” When the koalas are later declared, “lazy, smelly, and full of disease,” Murphy cracks, “So they’re like college students.” Watching a cassowary bird swallow an egg whole, Nelson remarks, “I eat pot roast the same way.” And animals aren’t the only ones who come in for teasing. British cinematographer Richard Terry, host of “Man v. Monster,” from which some of the show clips are taken, gets some gentle jibes, too. When Terry announces that his dream is to find and film real-life monsters, Nelson adds, “Mostly those people who drive slow in the passing lane and don’t move.”

Now I’m sure you’re saying to yourself, “this is just a goof.” And it might be an April Fools’ prank, I can’t deny that. I can only say that if this is all a ruse, it’s very elaborate and there are a lot of people buying into it.

I’m choosing to believe it too and I’m choosing to set my DVR now. MST3K is one of the greatest joys from my television upbringing and I still find myself watching clips on YouTube or catching the movie on HBO. Having it back on television in any form is welcome.

This is gonna be great and all, but I really don’t get why the proper show isn’t revived. It’s cheap and there are so many new options for it to air on. It would be a perfect fit for 1 a.m. on Adult Swim.

Rights issues are the reason why it hasn’t been on TV in 10 years, and why you’ll probably never see it in reruns (too expensive for a network). That, and the fact that Jim Mallon (better known as the voice of Gypsy) guards his piece of the rights like a hawk.

Apparently, Joel Hodgson (who has the other half of the rights) wanted to bring back the show in 2007 or so. Mallon shot him down and Hodgson went on to form Cinematic Titanic instead.

What JimmyJames said. That’s always been the true MST3K argument for me. The Mike vs. Joel argument always comes down to the viewer’s preference for slapstick humor and more impressions (Mike) vs. stoner humor and more reliance on the bots for laughs (Joel).
Trace was the one true Crow. His replacement (voiced by Observer’s actor) just wasn’t as good. Plus, as fun as Pearl and her crew were, I enjoyed Dr. Forrester (Trace again) and TV’s Frank much more.